Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw Explains Why Charity Work Is So Fulfilling To Him

Clayton Kershaw's wife, Ellen, had a chance to visit Africa as a college student and told him about the poverty she encountered there. The couple went to Africa shortly after they got married in 2010, and the trip made a serious impact on the Dodgers ace.

"I didn't really understand it until I went over there myself," Kershaw said.

The Kershaws decided they wanted to do more than just sponsor a child. They helped build a home that now houses 10 kids, and their charitable foundation, Kershaw's Challenge, is dedicated to helping two organizations in Africa, one in Los Angeles (Dream Center) and one in his hometown of Dallas (Mercy Street).

"Baseball is so much fun; I have blast getting to do it," Kershaw said. "But the end of the day, when kids are being helped, that's where Ellen and I find our passion: Trying to help kids who can't help themselves."

Kershaw's Challenge will have its big annual fundraiser Sept. 4 at Dodger Stadium, and it will center around a celebrity ping-pong tournament. (Kershaw is also an ace at this sport.) Here's more from Kershaw about the event, how fans can help and why this kind of work is so meaningful to him and his wife.